Air India Sets New Flight Frequency Record on Delhi-Melbourne Route This Winter

Air India is ramping up its service on the busy Delhi to Melbourne route by scheduling a historic ten weekly flights for the northern winter season starting late October 2026. This marks the largest number of flights ever planned by the Indian carrier between these two key cities as it continues to rebuild its international network post-pandemic. The expansion includes a daily Boeing 777-300ER service supplemented by three weekly flights operated by the slightly smaller Boeing 787-8.

Since July 1, Air India upgraded the capacity on this route by replacing the Boeing 787-8 with the larger Boeing 777-300ER on its main daily flight, resulting in an increase of nearly 500 seats per week. The 777-300ER aircraft used feature a high-premium 328-seat configuration with eight first-class suites, 40 lie-flat business class seats, and 280 economy seats. This contrasts with the two-class 787-8 layout of 259 seats, making the swap a significant upgrade in both volume and premium product offering.

Currently, the airline has temporarily reduced the Delhi-Melbourne service to four flights per week due to rising fuel costs, but will restore a daily 777-300ER operation from September 1. The full ten weekly frequencies, combining daily 777 services and three weekly 787 flights, will commence October 25, 2026. The daily 777 departs Delhi at 1:15 AM, arrives in Melbourne at 7:00 PM local time, and returns at 8:30 PM for an early morning arrival in Delhi at 3:50 AM the following day.

The additional three weekly 787-8 services operate on different timings, leaving Delhi in the afternoon and reaching Melbourne early next morning, with returns mid-morning from Melbourne landing in Delhi in the late afternoon. Block times for these flights range from 12 hours 15 minutes outbound to 12 hours 50 minutes inbound, covering the 6,368-mile (10,246 km) sector. These long-haul schedules reflect Air India’s attention to providing options across time-of-day preferences while optimizing aircraft utilization.

Air India’s deployment of the 777-300ER aircraft involves airframes originally leased from Etihad Airways in 2023 and purchased in 2025. This fleet enhancement is part of a broader strategy to phase out older 787-8s and 777-200LRs while refurbishing cabins and expanding capacity with newer, more efficient widebodies. The airline’s long-haul fleet currently includes 26 Boeing 787-8s, seven 787-9s, 19 Boeing 777-300ERs, and six Airbus A350-900s, with A350-1000s expected to join later in 2026.

Passenger traffic between India and Australia is substantial, with approximately 281,000 round trips recorded on the Delhi-Melbourne route over the past year leading to April 2026. This route is among the busiest direct connections between the countries, underpinned by increased migration trends that saw India-born residents overtake the English-born population as Australia's largest overseas-born group in 2025. Air India’s flight frequency expansion aims to capture growing demand in both business and leisure segments.

Fuel price volatility and Middle East airspace restrictions forced Air India to reduce its long-haul schedules during summer 2026, yet the carrier maintained over 1,200 international flights monthly. Efforts to restore and enhance key routes like Delhi-Melbourne are underway, with the full winter schedule set to roll out as operational challenges abate and cabin retrofits on 787-8s near completion, targeted by mid-2027.

The increased frequencies on this southern hemisphere route align with Air India’s broader recovery and fleet modernization plans. While some long-haul destinations such as Chicago and Washington remain suspended due to aircraft availability, the Delhi-Melbourne corridor exemplifies the carrier’s focus on high-demand markets and premium product enhancements during its network resurgence.